# 2024 UMass Minutemen football team

The 2024 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium located in Hadley, Massachusetts and compete as an FBS independent. They were led by head coach Don Brown in his third season since he was rehired, his eighth overall as head coach. He was fired on November 18, with offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery serving as interim head coach for the final two games.
This season marked the Minutemen's last season competing as an independent, as UMass rejoined the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as a full member beginning in 2025.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 3:30 p.m. | Eastern Michigan | McGuirk Alumni StadiumHadley, MA | ESPN+ | L 14–28 | 12,810 |
| September 7 | 3:30 p.m. | at Toledo | Glass BowlToledo, OH | ESPN+ | L 23–38 | 21,668 |
| September 14 | 3:30 p.m. | at Buffalo | University at Buffalo StadiumBuffalo, NY | CBSSN | L 3–34 | 15,204 |
| September 21 | 3:30 p.m. | Central Connecticut | McGuirk Alumni StadiumHadley, MA | ESPN+ | W 35–31 | 10,847 |
| September 28 | 3:30 p.m. | at Miami (OH) | Yager StadiumOxford, OH | ESPN+ | L 20–23 $^{OT}$ | 9,542 |
| October 5 | 12:00 p.m. | at Northern Illinois | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | CBSSN | L 20–34 | 12,466 |
| October 12 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 21 Missouri | McGuirk Alumni StadiumHadley, MA | ESPN2 | L 3–45 | 16,102 |
| October 26 | 3:30 p.m. | Wagner | McGuirk Alumni StadiumHadley, MA | ESPN+ | W 35–7 | 14,374 |
| November 2 | 4:15 p.m. | at Mississippi State | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | L 20–45 | 48,617 |
| November 16 | 12:00 p.m. | Liberty | McGuirk Alumni StadiumHadley, MA | ESPN+ | L 34–35 $^{OT}$ | 9,115 |
| November 23 | 12:45 p.m. | at No. 10 Georgia | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA | SECN | L 21–59 | 93,033 |
| November 30 | 12:00 p.m. | UConn | McGuirk Alumni StadiumHadley, MA (rivalry) | ESPN+ | L 42–47 | 10,365 |
| Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Eastern Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 14 | 3 | 11 | 28 |
| Minutemen | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Hadley, Massachusetts
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C)
* Game attendance: 12,810
* Referee: Rory Bernard
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jay Burnham (play-by-play) and Andy Gresh (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | EMU | MASS |
| First downs | 21 | 24 |
| Total yards | 375 | 329 |
| Rushing yards | 134 | 152 |
| Passing yards | 241 | 177 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 26:37 | 33:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern Michigan | Passing | Cole Snyder | 17/28, 241 yards, TD |
| Eastern Michigan | Rushing | Delbert Mimms III | 12 rushes, 60 yards, TD |
| Eastern Michigan | Receiving | Oran Singleton | 8 receptions, 89 yards, TD |
| UMass | Passing | Taisun Phommachanh | 20/30, 177 yards |
| UMass | Rushing | Taisun Phommachanh | 16 rushes, 57 yards |
| UMass | Receiving | Jalen John | 5 receptions, 42 yards |

### at Toledo

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Minutemen | 0 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 23 |
| Rockets | 7 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
at Glass Bowl, Toledo, Ohio
* Date: September 7
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 61 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 21,668
* Referee: Greg Sujack
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Michael Reghi and Je'Rod Cherry
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MASS | TOL |
| First downs | 23 | 12 |
| Total yards | 384 | 258 |
| Rushing yards | 125 | 83 |
| Passing yards | 259 | 175 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 44:21 | 15:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UMass | Passing | Taisun Phommachanh | 26/40, 259 yards, TD, INT |
| UMass | Rushing | Taisun Phommachanh | 22 rushes, 44 yards, TD |
| UMass | Receiving | Jakobie Keeney-James | 6 receptions, 93 yards, TD |
| Toledo | Passing | Tucker Gleason | 8/23, 175 yards, 3 TD |
| Toledo | Rushing | Tucker Gleason | 3 rushes, 34 yards |
| Toledo | Receiving | Junior Vandeross III | 3 receptions, 115 yards, TD |

### at Buffalo

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Minutemen | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bulls | 7 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 34 |
at UB Stadium, Amherst, New York
* Date: September 14
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 15,204
* Referee: Andrew Speciale
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Jordan Kent and Logan Ryan
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MASS | UB |
| First downs | 11 | 15 |
| Total yards | 193 | 314 |
| Rushing yards | 72 | 129 |
| Passing yards | 121 | 185 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:04 | 27:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UMass | Passing | Taisun Phommachanh | 14/29, 121 yards, INT |
| UMass | Rushing | Brandon Campbell | 8 rushes, 36 yards |
| UMass | Receiving | Jacquon Gibson | 4 receptions, 58 yards |
| Buffalo | Passing | C. J. Ogbonna | 14/22, 185 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Lamar Sperling | 16 rushes, 86 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | J. J. Jenkins | 2 receptions, 44 yards, TD |

### Central Connecticut (FCS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blue Devils (FCS) | 0 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
| Minutemen | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Hadley, Massachusetts
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 67 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 10,847
* Referee: Jerry Magallanes
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jay Burnham (play-by-play) and Andy Gresh (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | CCSU | MASS |
| First downs | 11 | 27 |
| Total yards | 247 | 450 |
| Rushing yards | 90 | 163 |
| Passing yards | 157 | 287 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 22:14 | 37:46 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Central Connecticut | Passing | Brady Olson | 12/26, 157 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Central Connecticut | Rushing | Elijah Howard | 14 rushes, 46 yards, TD |
| Central Connecticut | Receiving | Michael Plaskon | 3 receptions, 65 yards |
| UMass | Passing | Taisun Phommachanh | 20/30, 287 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| UMass | Rushing | Jalen John | 13 rushes, 65 yards |
| UMass | Receiving | Jakobie Kenney-James | 5 receptions, 95 yards, TD |

### at Miami (OH)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Minutemen | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
| RedHawks | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
at Yager Stadium, Oxford, Ohio
* Date: September 28
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Doug Sherman (play-by-play) and Forrest Conoly (analyst)
| Statistics | MASS | M-OH |
| First downs | 15 | 19 |
| Total yards | 344 | 349 |
| Rushing yards | 171 | 168 |
| Passing yards | 173 | 181 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:51 | 29:09 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UMass | Passing | Taisun Phommachanh | 9-22 173 Yards 1 TD |
| UMass | Rushing | Taisun Phommachanh | 18 carries 80 Yards |
| UMass | Receiving | Jakobie Keeney-James | 4 Receptions 150 Yards 1 TD |
| Miami (OH) | Passing | Brett Gabbert | 16-25 181 Yards 1 TD 1 INT |
| Miami (OH) | Rushing | Keyon Mozee | 9 carries 114 Yards 1 TD |
| Miami (OH) | Receiving | Javon Tracy | 5 Receptions 49 Yards 1 TD |

### at Northern Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Minutemen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Huskies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
* Date: October 5
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT/11:00 a.m. CDT
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Carter Blackburn (play-by-play) and Luke Kuechly (analyst)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| UMass | Passing |
| UMass | Rushing |
| UMass | Receiving |
| Northern Illinois | Passing |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving |

### No. 21 Missouri

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 21 Tigers | 14 | 10 | 21 | 0 | 45 |
| Minutemen | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Hadley, Massachusetts
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 64 °F (18 °C) • Wind: NW at 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)
* Game attendance: 16,102
* Referee: Gary Patterson
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Sam Acho (analyst), and Taylor Davis (sideline reporter)
* Pregame line: MIZ -27.5 Over/Under: 54.5
| Statistics | MIZ | MASS |
| First downs | 22 | 13 |
| Total yards | 461 | 237 |
| Rushing yards | 231 | 95 |
| Passing yards | 230 | 142 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 31:41 | 28:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Missouri | Passing | Brady Cook | 14/19, 219 yards, 2 TD |
| Missouri | Rushing | Marcus Carroll | 15 carries, 91 yards, 3 TD |
| Missouri | Receiving | Joshua Manning | 2 receptions, 68 yards, TD |
| UMass | Passing | Taisun Phommachanh | 12/22, 132 yards, INT |
| UMass | Rushing | Te'Rai Powell | 1 carry, 39 yards |
| UMass | Receiving | Jakobie Keeney-James | 6 receptions, 80 yards |

### Wagner (FCS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Seahawks (FCS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Minutemen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Hadley, Massachusetts
* Date: October 26
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jay Burnham (play-by-play) and Andy Gresh (analyst)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Wagner | Passing |
| Wagner | Rushing |
| Wagner | Receiving |
| UMass | Passing |
| UMass | Rushing |
| UMass | Receiving |

### at Mississippi State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Minutemen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Davis Wade Stadium, Oxford, Mississippi
* Date: November 2
* Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT/3:15 p.m. CDT
* TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst) and Ashley ShahAhmadi (sideline)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| UMass | Passing |
| UMass | Rushing |
| UMass | Receiving |
| Mississippi State | Passing |
| Mississippi State | Rushing |
| Mississippi State | Receiving |

### Liberty

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Flames | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Minutemen | 7 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 34 |
at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Hadley, Massachusetts
* Date: November 16
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT/11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 56 °F (13 °C) • Wind: NW 11 miles per hour (18 km/h)
* Game attendance: 9,115
* Referee: Gary Patterson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jay Burnham (play-by-play) and Andy Gresh (analyst)
| Statistics | LIB | MASS |
| First downs | 27 | 26 |
| Total yards | 423 | 426 |
| Rushing yards | 309 | 263 |
| Passing yards | 114 | 163 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 27:50 | 32:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Liberty | Passing | Kaidon Salter | 9/16, 114 yards, INT |
| Liberty | Rushing | Quinton Cooley | 20 carries, 147 yards, 3 TD |
| Liberty | Receiving | Treon Sibley | 1 reception, 34 yards |
| UMass | Passing | AJ Hairston | 13/25, 163 yards |
| UMass | Rushing | Jalen John | 15 carries, 119 yards, 2 TD |
| UMass | Receiving | Jakobie Keeney-James | 6 receptions, 75 yards |

### at No. 10 Georgia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Minutemen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 10 Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia
* Date: November 23
* Game time: 12:45 p.m. EDT
* TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Max Starks (analyst), and Ashley ShahAhmadi (sideline)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| UMass | Passing |
| UMass | Rushing |
| UMass | Receiving |
| Georgia | Passing |
| Georgia | Rushing |
| Georgia | Receiving |

### UConn (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 14 | 13 | 6 | 14 | 47 |
| Minutemen | 14 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 42 |
at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Hadley, Massachusetts
* Date: November 30
* Game time: 11:00 AM
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jay Burnham (PBP) and Andy Gresh (Analyst)
| Statistics | CONN | MASS |
| First downs | 22 | 22 |
| Total yards | 434 | 390 |
| Rushing yards | 253 | 184 |
| Passing yards | 181 | 206 |
| Turnovers | | |
| Time of possession | 29:05 | 30:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UConn | Passing | Joe Fagnano | 15/26, 181 yards, 3 TDs, INT |
| UConn | Rushing | Cam Edwards | 18 carries, 142 yards, 1 TD |
| UConn | Receiving | Louis Hansen | 4 reception, 73 yards, 1 TD |
| UMass | Passing | AJ Hairston | 13/21, 134 yards, 3 TDs |
| UMass | Rushing | Jalen John | 18 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD |
| UMass | Receiving | Jakobie Keeney-James | 5 reception, 68 yards, 1 TD |